The Single Mums' Picnic Club

by Jennifer Joyce

  George gasped. ‘Is she okay?’

  Frankie started to nod but changed her mind and gave a shrug instead. ‘Her neighbour heard her calling for help – the walls are like tissue paper – and she was taken to hospital and checked over. Luckily, she wasn’t badly injured, but they did say she had low blood pressure. It isn’t the first time she’s fallen, you see. I’m worried about her.’

  George patted her hand. ‘Of course you are.’

  ‘She’s so stubborn, though. She won’t let us look after her. She stayed overnight in the hospital and then insisted on being left alone.’ Frankie shook her head. ‘I don’t know what to do.’ She rubbed at her face with the palms of her hands and gave a heavy sigh. ‘Anyway, the phone call came while I was at the restaurant and I had to leave early. We hadn’t even got around to ordering.’

  ‘Oh dear.’ George sat up straighter. ‘But I’m sure Alex will understand, and you can arrange another date. Did you call him, once you knew your mum was okay?’

  Frankie looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, but they were the white, fluffy kind rather than the heavy grey of late. ‘I don’t think I can.’

  ‘Why not?’ Katie started to gather the discarded paper plates and dropped them into the designated rubbish bag.

  ‘Maybe this was some kind of omen?’ Frankie plucked a handful of grass, lifting it in the air before allowing it to flutter back down to the ground. ‘I wasn’t sure I was ready to start dating again after Bradley – maybe this is a sign that I was right.’

  ‘Do you really believe that?’ Katie didn’t notice George stealthily removing the paper plates so she could pop them in the recycling bin instead. ‘Because it sounds nuts to me.’

  ‘I don’t know, but he hasn’t called me either, so maybe he isn’t interested after all.’ Frankie looked at the time and groaned. ‘I need to get back to work. I’ve got yet another deadline looming. Hopefully Finn and Skye have exhausted themselves and will have a long nap.’ She twisted to glance over at the playground, where the twins were being pushed on the roundabout by Ellie. They didn’t appear to be tired in the slightest.

  George gathered up the last of the rubbish while Frankie and Katie folded the blankets.

  ‘Same time next week?’ Frankie asked once she’d managed to coax the twins from the playground with a bribe of a whole hour of CBeebies.

  George nodded. ‘I’ll text about where we should meet on the day.’ The weather had been kind that afternoon, but who knew what they’d be treated to the following week?

  ‘I’ll see you then.’ Frankie started to back away, one little hand in hers on either side. ‘Good luck starting your new job on Monday, Katie. And George – have a serious think about starting up the business.’

  ‘I will,’ George said, though she knew the difference between a daydream and reality, and strongly suspected the picnic catering business was the latter.

  ‘I think I’ll get going too.’ Katie wrestled her book into her handbag and hooked it onto her shoulder. ‘Elliot promised he’d get some revision done this afternoon but it’ll never get done if I leave him to his own devices. Thanks for the picnic. It’s been fun.’

  George rolled up her blanket and grappled with it until she finally managed to squeeze it into one of her tote bags. Jack was still in the play area with the kids and was currently running around after Ellie and the boys while Vevie sat on his shoulders, giggling as she was jostled about. George watched the action from an iron bench, smiling to herself. Thomas leapt over the wood chippings and ducked underneath the climbing frame, hiding from the prowling Jack. Today’s picnic had definitely been a success.

  ‘I’m done in.’ Jack collapsed onto the bench beside George, chest heaving. ‘They’ve worn me out. I think I’ll be joining Vevie for a nap when we get back.’

  ‘It looked like you were having tremendous fun.’ George watched as Thomas and Leo continued the game as a twosome, with Leo on prowling duty, while Ellie pushed her little sister gently on the swing.

  ‘It was.’ Jack wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. ‘But I don’t have nearly as much energy as those guys.’

  George rummaged in her tote bags, producing a plastic cup and a bottle of lemonade. She filled the cup and passed it to Jack.

  ‘Thanks.’ He gulped back the drink, almost draining the entire cup. ‘We should meet up for a coffee some time.’

  The suggestion came so out of the blue, George wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. Her eyes whipped to take in Jack’s expression, to see if he was being serious, but he wasn’t even looking back at her. He was watching as Vevie swung back and forth, and he raised his hand in a wave as Ellie looked up and caught his gaze on them.

  ‘One day next week, maybe?’

  George frowned. So he had suggested they meet up for coffee then?

  Jack turned to her now and she quickly adopted a more neutral expression. ‘So we can have a chat about your business? See if I can answer any questions you have?’

  ‘Oh. That.’ George reached for the tote bag and slotted the bottle of lemonade back inside. ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen. It’s just one of those silly daydreams, you know?’

  ‘Okay.’ Jack nodded. ‘The offer’s there anyway, if you need to talk it over.’

  It was a nice daydream to have, George thought as she turned to watch the boys playing again. But she doubted it could ever be anything more.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Katie

  Katie and Jack’s nights in the Red Lion became a bit of a habit over the next few weeks; Rob would pick the kids up on Friday evening and Katie would jump in the bath (ensuring she was neat and fuzz-free as well as clean, because she had learned the hard way that you should always be prepared) before she spent a stupid amount of time on her hair, clothes and make-up. Clothes were no longer worn just out of necessity on a Friday evening. They were fun and frivolous, not to mention new as Katie had finally updated her wardrobe with a budget-conscious capsule wardrobe of smart trousers, tops and dresses (and a few new pairs of leggings, because Katie liked to look good on her Friday nights out, but she also enjoyed comfort during the rest of the week). The new clothes were justified by the fact she couldn’t start her new job in trousers that were cutting her in two and blouses that she’d been wearing before Lizzie was born.

  Jack would call round to the house at around seven, and they’d walk along the seafront to the Red Lion, where Katie was learning to let her hair down. It was still strange being without the kids, but she had to admit she was enjoying the freedom more and more each week – though never more than that first week, where she’d drowned her sorrows until she was happy again, even if it only lasted until the alcohol was flushed from her system. To say her judgement had been impaired that night was an understatement. Still, it had been the catalyst that had seen her finally sending off the acknowledgement of service; waking up next to a man that wasn’t her husband had certainly helped to seal the deal, so to speak. Obviously, she’d wanted to claw back the letter as soon as it slipped from her fingers and into the belly of the post box, but it had been too late – the divorce was now in motion. But Katie found she was coping better than expected with the knowledge now the shock had worn off.

  ‘You’ve had your hair cut.’

  Rob’s words surprised Katie so much, she stopped mentally planning her outfit for that evening. They were standing in the hallway, where the handover of their children every Friday night took place, and her hand reached for her hair. It had been cut from its scraggly-at-the-ends shoulder length to a neat, chin-length bob, but Rob had never noticed things like that while they were living under the same roof. She could have shaved her head and he wouldn’t have had an inkling that something was a bit different about her.

  ‘I thought it was time for a change.’

  ‘It looks nice.’

  Katie laughed lightly. ‘It couldn’t have looked any worse. I can’t remember the last time I had it cut. It must have been at least a
year ago. Maya doesn’t even work there anymore. She got married and moved to Spain. I can’t blame her with our crappy weather.’ She headed to the bottom of the stairs and called out for Elliot and Lizzie to hurry up. Their dad picked them up at the same time every week, but they had yet to be ready on time, which meant Katie always ended up covering her awkwardness by wittering on about whatever popped into her head. She lived in fear that she’d end up blabbing about her one-night stand the other week if she was left for too long. Part of her wanted to shout it in Rob’s face, to see if it would hurt him. Anger him. Elicit any kind of reaction to show he still cared. But the more dominant part wanted to conceal her misdemeanour, to keep it locked away, where it couldn’t be used as justification for Rob’s decision to start divorce proceedings.

  See? There was no way back for them. Divorce had been the only option.

  No, it was best to keep it to herself and she pressed her lips together now in an effort to keep her secret from spilling out.

  I slept with another man.

  And I don’t even know his full name.

  Thankfully, Elliot and Lizzie came thundering down the stairs, bickering about phone chargers, and Katie was grateful to gently guide them out towards Rob’s car. He could deal with their squabbling for a change.

  With the kids out of the door, Katie ran up the stairs to begin her Friday night prep.

  The Red Lion was heaving as usual when Katie and Jack stepped inside, and it took great effort to nudge their way to the bar. Eventually, with drinks in hand, they found an empty patch of carpet to stand on next to the men’s toilets. Not ideal, but at least they wouldn’t be crushed.

  ‘How was the changeover this time?’ Jack knew how difficult Katie found them, and as he was in a similar situation of sharing childcare with his ex, he was always on hand to offer advice and sympathy.

  ‘It was okay.’ Katie took a sip of her wine. ‘It’s getting easier, I guess, but I still can’t believe we’re in this situation.’

  ‘It is difficult at first.’ He stepped out the way as the toilet door opened. ‘But it’ll get to the point where it feels normal.’

  ‘I don’t know if that makes me feel better or…’ Katie paused mid-sentence as she clocked who was emerging from the toilets. She tried to back away, to maybe duck out of view, but there were too many bodies pressing against hers. She was stuck. Damn it. Her only option was to look down at the floor and hope he didn’t recognise her.

  ‘Katie!’

  No such luck.

  ‘Hi!’ She plastered a smile on her face as she looked up, wishing she could remember his name. He must have told her. She wouldn’t have invited him back to her house if she didn’t even know his name. She wouldn’t have had sex with him if she knew him only as ‘Mr Thompson’.

  Right?

  ‘It’s good to see you again. You look amazing!’

  It was the first time she’d seen him since kicking him out of the house the morning after her drunken blunder. She’d been worried that he’d been avoiding her in the pub, questioning his own drunken decisions, but here he was, standing right in front of her and saying nice things.

  ‘Oh. Thanks.’ She batted the compliment away with a wave of her hand. ‘It’s good to see you again too.’ Especially since he was clothed this time. She cringed inwardly as she recalled waking up on that morning a few weeks ago, realising she wasn’t alone in the bed and that she was in fact lying next to a completely starkers primary school teacher whose first name she couldn’t remember. And worse, she was completely naked, though she’d never grow cold with the winter coat she’d been cultivating on her legs.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked, and Katie faltered. Wasn’t that how it had started last time? He’d spotted her at the jukebox and offered to buy her a drink as an apology for keeping her waiting so long at the school (even though it had been totally Jack’s fault). She’d accepted. She’d enjoyed the wine and they’d flirted. She remembered being surprised by how good it made her feel, being the centre of this man’s attention. He was handsome and funny and clearly at a loose end if he was bothering to chat to her instead of one of the younger women in the pub, because she had to be at least a decade older than him.

  Oh, God. She’d slept with a man at least a decade younger than her. This man-child had been in her bed, naked. He’d seen every inch of her. Every stretchmark. Every saggy bit still left over from carrying her babies. Only one other man had seen her naked before, and she was mortified.

  Why was this only just occurring to her now?

  ‘I’ll just go and…’ Jack winked at Katie before he started to edge his way through the crowd, not even bothering to come up with an actual excuse to leave her with the baby-faced teacher. Katie followed Mr Thompson to the bar, racking her brain to recall his first name, but none was forthcoming. She’d been too embarrassed to admit her faux pas to Frankie and George, so she’d plucked a name from thin air, initially christening her one-nighter ‘Jack’ but changing her mind as the first sound left her mouth. What if they ran into her neighbour and her friends assumed she’d slept with him? It was too close to home – literally – and so she’d morphed the sound into Jarvis. Safer, but still a fib.

  ‘Shall we try the beer garden?’ he asked once they’d been served. ‘It’s dry and we might get lucky and find an empty table.’

  Katie felt her cheeks growing warm as she remembered the last time they’d ventured out into the beer garden, but still she followed him out. There were a couple of vacant tables and they chose the one furthest from the pub. He found her hand under the table, his fingers threading through hers, but Katie pulled her hand away, making a show of reaching for her drink, even though the other hand had been free all along.

  ‘I haven’t see you here for a few weeks.’ He’d probably hooked up with other women while Katie was chivvying her kids along from the bottom of the stairs. Women more his own age. Perkier. Less worn out.

  He grinned at her as he lifted his pint glass. ‘Looking for me, were you?’

  She rolled her eyes as he took a sip of his drink. ‘As if. It’s just you’re sort of hard to miss with that big head of yours.’

  He laughed, and she found she was smiling too. ‘Did you miss me then?’

  ‘Not at all.’ She took a sip of her drink, trying not to laugh as he clutched his chest.

  ‘Ouch. That’s no way to feed a man’s ego.’

  ‘Yours has been overfed already. You don’t need me adding to it.’ She took another sip of her drink and found it was empty. When did that happen?

  ‘Let me get you another.’ He shifted in his seat, but Katie held a hand up.

  ‘I’ll get the next round. Another pint?’

  She was glad when ordering a round of drinks was as arduous as ever as it gave her time to get her head straight. What exactly was she doing here? Did she really want something to happen with this man – again? And how could she find out his name without revealing that she was currently in the dark? Because it was far too late to just ask outright.

  ‘I’ve realised I know next to nothing about you,’ he said when she returned with the drinks. I know even less about you, she thought, but she kept it zipped. ‘So, come on. Let’s have Katie in a nutshell.’ He rubbed his hands together as he awaited the quickfire information.

  ‘I’m a mum of two.’ She wondered if that little nugget of info would put him off. Would she be terribly put out if it did? It would certainly solve a quandary or two…

  ‘I know.’ She supposed the stretchmarks provided a clue, but there wasn’t a flicker of alarm on his face. ‘The photos in your hallway are a bit of a giveaway.’

  And he was still keen? Wow.

  ‘Lizzie’s twelve.’ Anything approaching mild panic? Nope, nothing. ‘And Elliot is fifteen.’ Her eyes roamed his face, searching for a chink in is his neutral, ‘so what if you have kids?’ face. There wasn’t even a shadow of unrest.

  ‘What about you? Do you have kids?’

 
; He shook his head. ‘Not of my own, but I have a whole classroom full of them.’

  ‘Oh, God.’ Katie groaned. ‘That must put you off for life, surely?’

  ‘Nah. I love kids. I have a niece and nephew and they’re adorable.’

  Katie was about to point out that any kid could be adorable when you had the option to hand them back at the end of the day, but he’d moved on.

  ‘How’s the job search going?’

  ‘Really good, actually.’ She attempted a smile, but it was more grimace than grin as she felt awash with guilt. He’d obviously been paying attention during their last meet up, but she couldn’t even name the dude. She really wasn’t cut out for this. She should go home, curl up in bed – alone – and finish chapter seven of that novel she’d been working on since the summer.

  Britney Spears’ ‘Oops!… I did It Again’ played in Katie’s head when she woke the next morning to find her head resting on a toned, lightly haired pillow. She recalled the evening before, accepting the drink from… damn it, she still didn’t know his name… from Mr Thompson, chatting with him, flirting with him (since when did she flirt with men?) and finally snogging him in a dark corner of the beer garden. And then they’d stumbled back to Katie’s place, giggling and stopping practically every other step to kiss. They hadn’t even made it to the bedroom once they finally made it back to the house, tearing at clothes as soon as the front door closed behind them. It had been fast and furious and the most exhilarating experience of Katie’s life. Her cheeks burned as the memory popped into her head now. Katie and Rob had lived in that house together for over fifteen years, and the hallway had never been used for that purpose. She groaned and turned her face to bury it in the solid chest beneath her. She would surely die of shame.

  ‘Morning.’

  She started at the sound of… Mr Thompson’s voice, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t.

  ‘Are you going to kick me out again?’ There was amusement in his voice, but Katie couldn’t find any humour in the situation. She’d slept with a man at least a decade younger than she was, and she still didn’t know his name. ‘Can I at least put my shoes on this time?’